I'm working on the Debbie Bliss seed stitch shoes pattern from her book Baby knits for beginners.

I understand that seed stitch is alternating K, P, K, etc. on one row and then P, K, P,K. I'm able to make a rectangular piece in seed stitch.

My problem is that the pattern states:

Seed st 1 row. (did that)
Work in seed st and inc one st at each end of next and every foll alt row until there are 38 sts, work all increases sts in seed st, so keeping the continuity of the pattern.

I did the second row, beginning with P, K, P, K to end of row.

So, on the 3rd row, I think I'm supposed to increase sts at beg and end of this 3rd row. Since I'm supposed to begin with a K, how do I go about keeping the pattern while increasing? Do I inc front and back with back being a P, but then my next st should be a P, to go with the previous row K?

I think that the increases should begin on row 2. Because it says to do one row in seed stitch, then says on next and following alternate rows do an increase on each end. I would take that to mean on row 2, 4, 6, etc.

If the row that you need to increase on is supposed to begin with a knit stitch, then the stitch you are adding at the very beginning of the row would be a purl stitch, right? So what I would do is start with the yarn in front, purl the first stitch without slipping the stitch off the needle, move the yarn to the back and knit the same stitch, then slip it off the left needle. You now have a purl stitch and a knit stitch on your right needle and then the next stitch would be a purl stitch, as before, to keep with the seed stitch pattern. Do the same thing at the other end - if you would normally end the seed stitch row with a knit stitch, I would knit the last stitch without slipping it off, then move the yarn to the front, purl the same stitch, then slip it off.

I've only been seriously knitting for two years. :D I see a lot of people say "knitting is only knitting two stitches. a knit or a purl". I know thats true but they seem to forget those confusing instructiions!! That's my problem a lot of the time as the person posting this thread had. Sometimes they are not easy to "figure out".

Thanks to everyone here who can help those of us that find the instructions a bit....difficult to picture before we actually do the knitting. :XX: :XX:

WOndering if the first member who inquired about this pattern completed shoes successfully?

I am working the same pattern although I understood the increases to be at the END of each alt row only. Wouldn't it say to inc on beg and end of each alt row if you needed to inc on the begining as well?

Anyhow, what is happening with my piece is that it is square shape on one side and showing the decreasing only on the other side, which is nothing like th pic in the book, so I'm thinking of undoing it all and trying your suggestion to add in the beg as well.

Then also in the description of pattern it says a seed st is two rows of even numbered stitches [ki, p1] 1st row; [P1, k1] 2nd row.

So shouldn't I knit two rows when asked to stitch first seed stitch row?

It says each end, which means both the beg and the end of the row. It's a word that's often overlooked when reading a pattern. So if you're only increasing on one end of the row, that's why your piece is off.

A row is a row, doesn't matter if the stitch pattern is worked over 1, 2 or 6 rows, if it says to work a row, you just make one trip across the needles. If it says to work the first seed st row you just do one row.